March 2014 Monthly Entry
The temperature has been going up a bit for the last two weeks here. By the end of February, there was a rain/snow mix and then progressed into a combination of sunny and rainy days. Only a couple of developments have happened at work. First, it seems I am back doing the Marquis Grande for once a month as I was just there last Wednesday. My manager was correct in thinking that David, the resident manager, didn't call for me for all of the Fall and Winter seasons because it isn't golfing season. Second, my coworker Larry is now working at MacPherson Walk - the same place I act managed back in October - on Fridays and Saturdays. He just started last Friday and while I was thinking I would have to clean his two buildings, there would now be a replacement for him on these days. The girl taking his place was none other than Priscilla, who I haven't seen for two or three years now! She hasn't worked on the property since the last time I saw her in those years so I had to help her get through the rest of the afternoon. I haven't seen her for so long because two major things have happened to her: she was struck by a car as she was jaywalking so she had mobility issues for a while, and she also became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she first arrived, I was debating if it was Priscilla or the lady who was fired last year, Patricia. They look somewhat similar and have the same dark skin tone. If it was Patricia, it would have really surprised me and would question why my manager would rehire her. I would assume it was done out of desperation to fill a worker gap. Anyways, it was nice to see her again and we talked about the shit we have to put up with in the company, including the low pay and no benefits we get. I found out that I get paid a little more than her even though she has been in the company about a few years more than me. She was switched with Larry as Michael, the caretaker, didn't much care for her cleaning. I guess we'll see how long Larry will last there though he is a better cleaner than Priscilla.
Not much has happened between David and I. The only thing of note is that our last rent cheque bounced and David had to muster up the courage to approach and ask me for more money to pay the rent balance. He needed $250, I gave him $260. He agreed that I'll give him less rent money to pay myself back in my upcoming pay periods (he also owes me $100 more as he took my stash money last month). After he told me about the cheque bouncing and my agreeing to bail him out (I'm going to assume at least the 15th time now!), I then turn to him, smiling, saying "You know what I'm going to say next, right?" He replied that he knew what I was going to get at... that if he cannot afford the rent, how can he afford his upcoming trip to Europe? No argument, but I could tell he was just barely admitting to me that it is becoming a very real problem for him. When Kevin from Fresno happened to chat on Yahoo IM later that night, I said I wasn't angry but paradoxically laughing my ass off at the situation. I said it confirmed to me just how stupid David is! He has no money to travel and yet, still plans to go! Truly, he thinks only with his penis and his mind will logically justify it.
There was the recent release of Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII and once again, I got the Collector's Edition of both the PS3 version of the game and strategy guide - completing the XIII trilogy after 4 years. Pic above is me holding them. The guide was ordered from Amazon Canada very easily but the game was another matter. For some reason, the Collector's Edition could only be bought off Square-Enix's website and had to pay a pretty penny to get it here. It was over $100 for the game and shipping but it didn't end there: I had to pay $15 extra for a customs charge when I went to pick it up from Canada Post! The Collector's Edition includes the game, a hard-cover art book, a silver embossed pocket watch, and a DLC code for an Aerith Gainsborough (from Final Fantasy VII) costume for Lightning to wear in the game. Next year, I'll be playing and reviewing it.
Couple Sundays ago I went with my folks and younger sister to see Son of God at Cineplex Colossus in Langley. It has been ten years since the last time my folks went to a movie theatre, the last movie being The Passion of the Christ. I was debating seeing this movie given it is a rehash from last year's popular The Bible miniseries on TV. Admittedly, I never saw the series so I can't determine what was cut (besides the obvious "Temptation in the Desert Scene" because the actor portraying Satan looks almost like US President Barack Obama) but the end credits certainly show scenes that weren't in this movie. During the trailers, the movies shown were very much promotions geared toward religious folks. The two that stood out: Heaven is for Real and Noah. I won't touch Heaven - which is based on the best-selling book of a young boy who had a near-death experience and saw Heaven - because I question such visions and what the Bible actually says about the realm. I will definitely check out Noah since it looks interesting and review it here later. Anyhoo, about Son of God. The one word that came to me through the entire experience was downplayed. The movie really downplays some of the different episodes of Jesus' life as presented in the Gospels and omits a lot. Now, I understand that for a movie as long as Son of God (over 2 hours) is going to take liberties in what they can put in, I felt they should have expanded the runtime and put in more things. For example, there is no showing of Jesus at the Temple when he's 12 years old, no John the Baptist being beheaded and why it happened (in fact, you barely see John!), no Transfiguration, no Sermon on the Mount, no exorcisms, no healing of the man born blind, no mention of his younger brother James (perhaps to appease Catholics since they deny Jesus had siblings - despite James being called "the brother of the Lord"), etc. Even some of the details are changed from the Gospels. One clear example is the Raising of Lazarus in the Gospel of John, chapter 11. To start, the movie does NOT make it clear that Lazarus and Jesus were good friends before he died. He had been dead for four days and was bandaged. The text says that Jesus was outside the tomb and orders the stone to be rolled away. He says a prayer and then cries, "Lazarus! Come on out!" and Lazarus walks out of the tomb. In the movie, Jesus is inside the tomb with Mary, Lazarus' sister (the other sister Martha is not mentioned), and when he touches the corpse while saying for Lazarus to get up, Lazarus opens his eyes. I found that scene to be kind of creepy to be honest. It made me wonder why they weren't faithful to the source material on such an easy thing to retell. Even the 2003 Gospel of John movie got it right! Another issue that fudged details was Peter's threefold denial. Jesus predicts in the Gospels that before the rooster crows that night, Peter would deny he knew Jesus on three occasions - despite Peter pledging that he would give his life for his Master. In the movie, Jesus says "before the dawn" and no mention of the rooster nor do we hear it crow. This may be nitpicking but even it makes me wonder why this was changed. As for the supporting characters, their portrayal was generally good. As for Jewish portrayals, I believe the film cast them well - knowing they had to be careful given that they didn't want to influence some radical to use the story of Jesus as a propaganda piece of anti-Semitism (which sadly happened to The Passion of the Christ and Mel Gibson's drunken ramblings). Jesus and his disciples were Jewish and not all Jews were a part of the plot in getting Jesus killed. In fact, the movie takes great pains in explaining why there was opposition to Jesus and his movement. Jesus made controversial claims about himself that is recognized as blasphemy both back then and even today. Jesus is believed to be the Messiah - which he doesn't deny, but Jewish expectations of the time was that he would liberate them from the Romans and when he refused this path and instead, save humanity from their sins, some of his own people turned on him. This was understandable as Jesus had the power to solve their immediate problems but he saw the grander calling of his being Messiah - to establish the Kingdom of God through mere disciples and create a worldwide movement that blossomed into what it is today. I think in watching this movie or even reading the Gospels, we have the advantage of hindsight but when these events were actually happening in real time, people had no idea until after the fact of what was going to happen. Judas Iscariot, the disciple that ends of betraying Jesus, is portrayed with some sympathy in the movie. As for the crucifixion, it is paced well and, unlike Passion, was not quite as gory. The Resurrection was not downplayed surprisingly but it could have used more substance. The Empty Tomb scene used John's Gospel account and no attempt to harmonize the Synoptic accounts. The skeptic, Thomas, doesn't say "My Lord and my God!" to the resurrected Jesus when he touches him, confirming it is not a ghost. That famous line should have been in the movie. The movie ends mentioning that 11 of the disciples were martyred for their faith except for John, who was spared. He is shown as an old man, living by himself on an island, about to write the apocalyptic book of Revelation of things to come. Oh yes, the Portuguese model/actor that played Jesus, Diogo Morgado, was not bad but I'd say Jim Caviezel was better in Passion. So in the end, Son of God is not a bad "Jesus movie" but it didn't hit the emotional high notes then say, Ben-Hur and The Passion did. The 1977 mini-series Jesus of Nazareth is probably the best movie about Jesus and will pick it up once they release it in North America on Blu-Ray.
I've watched all 4 Indiana Jones movies as part of the Complete Adventures package on Blu-Ray. The last time I saw the movies was Labour Day weekend 2011 on TV. Here are my thoughts:
Raiders of the Lost Ark was a great thrill ride and all the iconic scenes are so much fun to watch again. You got Nazis as villains, awesome sets and special effects, plus plenty of action that keeps the movie going at a great pace. Woofy bear John Rhys-Davies (who would go on to play the dwarf, Gimli, in The Lord of the Rings trilogy) makes his first appearance as Sallah plus Karen Allen playing Marion Ravenwood, Indy's love interest. You can't help but think of all the different parodies subsequent movies and TV shows have been done through the years. I suppose all of you remember this classic from The Simpsons (though the ending was cut out in this video):
Obviously, Temple of Doom was considered a step back from Raiders due to Jone's two irritating sidekicks: Willie and Short Round. It is a prequel to Raiders, which is a point I completely missed the first time I saw it. The movie got flak for its portrayal of Hinduism and by no means would anyone in Hollywood get away with it today! Some people didn't like the darker tone and forced humour in this sequel. Characters from the previous movie don't come back so everyone here is completely new. Besides some great sets and special effects, the one thing that will keep me watching this movie is super-woofy British wrestler/actor Pat Roach, who plays the Chief Thuggee Guard that fights Indy and gets crushed to death. He also played the Nazi soldier in Raiders that sparred Indy but gets cut to shreds by an airplane propeller. He is so damn HOT in both movies but sucks he meets gruesome deaths in both. He had extra minor roles in Raiders and Crusade too. To see the Nostalgia Critic's funny review of the movie, go here.
The Last Crusade is really the first Indiana Jones movie I ever saw. I think my folks either rented it from the video store or bought the original trilogy all together. Both Raiders and Crusade are my favourites among the 4 movies. The relationship and chemistry between Indy Jr. and his father, Henry Jones Sr. is what makes the movie shine. Seriously, Harrison Ford and Sean Connery work well together. And John Rhys-Davies returns as Sallah too! The Nazis return, making this movie taking place shortly after the events of Raiders. Once again, there is lots of action, great scenes and sets, some good humour, and even a kick-ass scene with Indy coming face-to-face with Adolf Hitler himself!
After about 19 years later, we get Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and like the Star Wars prequels before it, it's a movie that showcases what years of advances in movie technology have progressed to since the last film that came out in 1989. But let's be honest here, using too many CG effects and Photoshopping the film to make things look more colourful and vibrant goes to show why the first three movies are superior. Now, Crystal Skull is not a bad movie and I had fun watching it in theatres back in late June 2008 when two slavebears, Donovan & Michael, were visiting us from Wisconsin. It was at Metrotown and with David, we ate at our (long since gone) favourite all-u-can-eat Japanese restaurant, Taisho. I suggested we go watch the movie and they agreed though David didn't want to and went home instead. I paid for the tickets and we watched the film, discretely holding hands. We pretty much liked it after that first screening. Re-watching this movie almost 6 years later, my thoughts are the same as before: Crystal Skull is a good movie in general but doesn't compare to the first three... and this was at a time when Last Crusade was the only Indiana Jones movie I ever fully saw beforehand. After watching all of Raiders and Temple, I can confidently say that Crystal Skull won't be able to hold up as well as those two plus Crusade. Shia LaBeouf, as Indy's son, was both hit and miss. While better and more useful than Willie and Short Round in Temple, the film gives him too much focus and they make him too good at what he does. He seems too smart and talented compared to Indy's father in Crusade who was perfectly suited with just the right amount of intellect and talents. The film introduces two new characters that Indy has met after Crusade and before this movie: George "Mac" McHale (WOOF!), and Harold "Ox" Oxley. It makes little sense because as I was watching how these characters were introduced, I thought, "were these characters making a return from past movies?" Turns out, they're not - save Marion, who - Thank God - makes her return. I found the movie to be kind of boring and the adding of CG effects to be so unnecessary that I found the special effects of the previous movies to be so much more convincing and praiseworthy (hence, why the Star Wars prequels were pretty panned, save Episode III which was the more redeemable one). To be fair, the sets were very well done and glad they took this approach versus the mostly CG-produced ones in the Star Wars prequels. I found the whole "alien" theme to be kind of bizarre compared to the use of religious artifacts in the past movies (Judaism, then Hinduism, and Christianity). To see the awesome Bum Review of Crystal Skull go here or below:
And... the creators of South Park gave their opinion on Crystal Skull:
The Complete Adventures contains a fifth Blu-Ray disc with Making Of Featurettes for all movies. Took a while to go through but it was nice too see Spielberg, Lucas, and others give their opinions and thoughts both during production of the films and years later, reflecting on them. I'll probably watch the movies again in a couple of years and get my Indy fix. Do you guys have any thoughts on the Indiana Jones movies? Let me know in the comments section.
I haven't watched Star Trek: DS9 much since last entry but will continue on the first season and get it done for early spring. I've been watching episodes of Queer As Folk on OutTV as March is a free preview month for the channel. Haven't seen the series in years and surprised that I remembered a lot of the scenes and plot points. I never got to see the 5th and final season of the series as my household at the time cut off our TV cable to save costs. By the time we got it back, the series was over and no longer showing on Showcase. I'll be watching Season 5 soon but the free preview stops at the end of the month - just before I can see the final episodes! Thankfully, I found a channel on Youtube that has the final episodes uploaded so I'll finish the series there (provided YouTube doesn't shut it down!). I plan someday to get the DVD set anyways.
Gears of War 3 is almost done and the review will be up soon after. Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days is progressing pretty good but still have more to do. Halo: Combat Evolved is about halfway done.
I finished the Book of Psalms, the Bible's book of celebrated poetry and hymns. Not much to mention either than comment on a few things. First off, it's believed that King David wrote some of these Psalms though not all of them. People know of Psalm 23 which is the famous "The Lord is my Shepard" poem. Finally, Psalm 119 is the longest Psalm and happens to be the longest chapter in the entire Bible. It has 22 stanzas that reflect every letter of the Hebrew alphabet from Aleph to Tau. It's a pretty fascinating Psalm. I'm now starting the book of Proverbs.
Last Movie: Son of God (Theatrical), Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (Blu-Ray)
Last Book: KJV Holy Bible - Psalms
Last Game: Sonic Colors (Wii)
Current Book: KJV Holy Bible - Proverbs
Current Games: Gears of War 3 (Xbox 360) & Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days (DS) & Halo: Combat Evolved (Xbox)
Not much has happened between David and I. The only thing of note is that our last rent cheque bounced and David had to muster up the courage to approach and ask me for more money to pay the rent balance. He needed $250, I gave him $260. He agreed that I'll give him less rent money to pay myself back in my upcoming pay periods (he also owes me $100 more as he took my stash money last month). After he told me about the cheque bouncing and my agreeing to bail him out (I'm going to assume at least the 15th time now!), I then turn to him, smiling, saying "You know what I'm going to say next, right?" He replied that he knew what I was going to get at... that if he cannot afford the rent, how can he afford his upcoming trip to Europe? No argument, but I could tell he was just barely admitting to me that it is becoming a very real problem for him. When Kevin from Fresno happened to chat on Yahoo IM later that night, I said I wasn't angry but paradoxically laughing my ass off at the situation. I said it confirmed to me just how stupid David is! He has no money to travel and yet, still plans to go! Truly, he thinks only with his penis and his mind will logically justify it.
There was the recent release of Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII and once again, I got the Collector's Edition of both the PS3 version of the game and strategy guide - completing the XIII trilogy after 4 years. Pic above is me holding them. The guide was ordered from Amazon Canada very easily but the game was another matter. For some reason, the Collector's Edition could only be bought off Square-Enix's website and had to pay a pretty penny to get it here. It was over $100 for the game and shipping but it didn't end there: I had to pay $15 extra for a customs charge when I went to pick it up from Canada Post! The Collector's Edition includes the game, a hard-cover art book, a silver embossed pocket watch, and a DLC code for an Aerith Gainsborough (from Final Fantasy VII) costume for Lightning to wear in the game. Next year, I'll be playing and reviewing it.
Couple Sundays ago I went with my folks and younger sister to see Son of God at Cineplex Colossus in Langley. It has been ten years since the last time my folks went to a movie theatre, the last movie being The Passion of the Christ. I was debating seeing this movie given it is a rehash from last year's popular The Bible miniseries on TV. Admittedly, I never saw the series so I can't determine what was cut (besides the obvious "Temptation in the Desert Scene" because the actor portraying Satan looks almost like US President Barack Obama) but the end credits certainly show scenes that weren't in this movie. During the trailers, the movies shown were very much promotions geared toward religious folks. The two that stood out: Heaven is for Real and Noah. I won't touch Heaven - which is based on the best-selling book of a young boy who had a near-death experience and saw Heaven - because I question such visions and what the Bible actually says about the realm. I will definitely check out Noah since it looks interesting and review it here later. Anyhoo, about Son of God. The one word that came to me through the entire experience was downplayed. The movie really downplays some of the different episodes of Jesus' life as presented in the Gospels and omits a lot. Now, I understand that for a movie as long as Son of God (over 2 hours) is going to take liberties in what they can put in, I felt they should have expanded the runtime and put in more things. For example, there is no showing of Jesus at the Temple when he's 12 years old, no John the Baptist being beheaded and why it happened (in fact, you barely see John!), no Transfiguration, no Sermon on the Mount, no exorcisms, no healing of the man born blind, no mention of his younger brother James (perhaps to appease Catholics since they deny Jesus had siblings - despite James being called "the brother of the Lord"), etc. Even some of the details are changed from the Gospels. One clear example is the Raising of Lazarus in the Gospel of John, chapter 11. To start, the movie does NOT make it clear that Lazarus and Jesus were good friends before he died. He had been dead for four days and was bandaged. The text says that Jesus was outside the tomb and orders the stone to be rolled away. He says a prayer and then cries, "Lazarus! Come on out!" and Lazarus walks out of the tomb. In the movie, Jesus is inside the tomb with Mary, Lazarus' sister (the other sister Martha is not mentioned), and when he touches the corpse while saying for Lazarus to get up, Lazarus opens his eyes. I found that scene to be kind of creepy to be honest. It made me wonder why they weren't faithful to the source material on such an easy thing to retell. Even the 2003 Gospel of John movie got it right! Another issue that fudged details was Peter's threefold denial. Jesus predicts in the Gospels that before the rooster crows that night, Peter would deny he knew Jesus on three occasions - despite Peter pledging that he would give his life for his Master. In the movie, Jesus says "before the dawn" and no mention of the rooster nor do we hear it crow. This may be nitpicking but even it makes me wonder why this was changed. As for the supporting characters, their portrayal was generally good. As for Jewish portrayals, I believe the film cast them well - knowing they had to be careful given that they didn't want to influence some radical to use the story of Jesus as a propaganda piece of anti-Semitism (which sadly happened to The Passion of the Christ and Mel Gibson's drunken ramblings). Jesus and his disciples were Jewish and not all Jews were a part of the plot in getting Jesus killed. In fact, the movie takes great pains in explaining why there was opposition to Jesus and his movement. Jesus made controversial claims about himself that is recognized as blasphemy both back then and even today. Jesus is believed to be the Messiah - which he doesn't deny, but Jewish expectations of the time was that he would liberate them from the Romans and when he refused this path and instead, save humanity from their sins, some of his own people turned on him. This was understandable as Jesus had the power to solve their immediate problems but he saw the grander calling of his being Messiah - to establish the Kingdom of God through mere disciples and create a worldwide movement that blossomed into what it is today. I think in watching this movie or even reading the Gospels, we have the advantage of hindsight but when these events were actually happening in real time, people had no idea until after the fact of what was going to happen. Judas Iscariot, the disciple that ends of betraying Jesus, is portrayed with some sympathy in the movie. As for the crucifixion, it is paced well and, unlike Passion, was not quite as gory. The Resurrection was not downplayed surprisingly but it could have used more substance. The Empty Tomb scene used John's Gospel account and no attempt to harmonize the Synoptic accounts. The skeptic, Thomas, doesn't say "My Lord and my God!" to the resurrected Jesus when he touches him, confirming it is not a ghost. That famous line should have been in the movie. The movie ends mentioning that 11 of the disciples were martyred for their faith except for John, who was spared. He is shown as an old man, living by himself on an island, about to write the apocalyptic book of Revelation of things to come. Oh yes, the Portuguese model/actor that played Jesus, Diogo Morgado, was not bad but I'd say Jim Caviezel was better in Passion. So in the end, Son of God is not a bad "Jesus movie" but it didn't hit the emotional high notes then say, Ben-Hur and The Passion did. The 1977 mini-series Jesus of Nazareth is probably the best movie about Jesus and will pick it up once they release it in North America on Blu-Ray.
I've watched all 4 Indiana Jones movies as part of the Complete Adventures package on Blu-Ray. The last time I saw the movies was Labour Day weekend 2011 on TV. Here are my thoughts:
Raiders of the Lost Ark was a great thrill ride and all the iconic scenes are so much fun to watch again. You got Nazis as villains, awesome sets and special effects, plus plenty of action that keeps the movie going at a great pace. Woofy bear John Rhys-Davies (who would go on to play the dwarf, Gimli, in The Lord of the Rings trilogy) makes his first appearance as Sallah plus Karen Allen playing Marion Ravenwood, Indy's love interest. You can't help but think of all the different parodies subsequent movies and TV shows have been done through the years. I suppose all of you remember this classic from The Simpsons (though the ending was cut out in this video):
Click to viewObviously, Temple of Doom was considered a step back from Raiders due to Jone's two irritating sidekicks: Willie and Short Round. It is a prequel to Raiders, which is a point I completely missed the first time I saw it. The movie got flak for its portrayal of Hinduism and by no means would anyone in Hollywood get away with it today! Some people didn't like the darker tone and forced humour in this sequel. Characters from the previous movie don't come back so everyone here is completely new. Besides some great sets and special effects, the one thing that will keep me watching this movie is super-woofy British wrestler/actor Pat Roach, who plays the Chief Thuggee Guard that fights Indy and gets crushed to death. He also played the Nazi soldier in Raiders that sparred Indy but gets cut to shreds by an airplane propeller. He is so damn HOT in both movies but sucks he meets gruesome deaths in both. He had extra minor roles in Raiders and Crusade too. To see the Nostalgia Critic's funny review of the movie, go here.
The Last Crusade is really the first Indiana Jones movie I ever saw. I think my folks either rented it from the video store or bought the original trilogy all together. Both Raiders and Crusade are my favourites among the 4 movies. The relationship and chemistry between Indy Jr. and his father, Henry Jones Sr. is what makes the movie shine. Seriously, Harrison Ford and Sean Connery work well together. And John Rhys-Davies returns as Sallah too! The Nazis return, making this movie taking place shortly after the events of Raiders. Once again, there is lots of action, great scenes and sets, some good humour, and even a kick-ass scene with Indy coming face-to-face with Adolf Hitler himself!
After about 19 years later, we get Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and like the Star Wars prequels before it, it's a movie that showcases what years of advances in movie technology have progressed to since the last film that came out in 1989. But let's be honest here, using too many CG effects and Photoshopping the film to make things look more colourful and vibrant goes to show why the first three movies are superior. Now, Crystal Skull is not a bad movie and I had fun watching it in theatres back in late June 2008 when two slavebears, Donovan & Michael, were visiting us from Wisconsin. It was at Metrotown and with David, we ate at our (long since gone) favourite all-u-can-eat Japanese restaurant, Taisho. I suggested we go watch the movie and they agreed though David didn't want to and went home instead. I paid for the tickets and we watched the film, discretely holding hands. We pretty much liked it after that first screening. Re-watching this movie almost 6 years later, my thoughts are the same as before: Crystal Skull is a good movie in general but doesn't compare to the first three... and this was at a time when Last Crusade was the only Indiana Jones movie I ever fully saw beforehand. After watching all of Raiders and Temple, I can confidently say that Crystal Skull won't be able to hold up as well as those two plus Crusade. Shia LaBeouf, as Indy's son, was both hit and miss. While better and more useful than Willie and Short Round in Temple, the film gives him too much focus and they make him too good at what he does. He seems too smart and talented compared to Indy's father in Crusade who was perfectly suited with just the right amount of intellect and talents. The film introduces two new characters that Indy has met after Crusade and before this movie: George "Mac" McHale (WOOF!), and Harold "Ox" Oxley. It makes little sense because as I was watching how these characters were introduced, I thought, "were these characters making a return from past movies?" Turns out, they're not - save Marion, who - Thank God - makes her return. I found the movie to be kind of boring and the adding of CG effects to be so unnecessary that I found the special effects of the previous movies to be so much more convincing and praiseworthy (hence, why the Star Wars prequels were pretty panned, save Episode III which was the more redeemable one). To be fair, the sets were very well done and glad they took this approach versus the mostly CG-produced ones in the Star Wars prequels. I found the whole "alien" theme to be kind of bizarre compared to the use of religious artifacts in the past movies (Judaism, then Hinduism, and Christianity). To see the awesome Bum Review of Crystal Skull go here or below:
And... the creators of South Park gave their opinion on Crystal Skull:
The Complete Adventures contains a fifth Blu-Ray disc with Making Of Featurettes for all movies. Took a while to go through but it was nice too see Spielberg, Lucas, and others give their opinions and thoughts both during production of the films and years later, reflecting on them. I'll probably watch the movies again in a couple of years and get my Indy fix. Do you guys have any thoughts on the Indiana Jones movies? Let me know in the comments section.
I haven't watched Star Trek: DS9 much since last entry but will continue on the first season and get it done for early spring. I've been watching episodes of Queer As Folk on OutTV as March is a free preview month for the channel. Haven't seen the series in years and surprised that I remembered a lot of the scenes and plot points. I never got to see the 5th and final season of the series as my household at the time cut off our TV cable to save costs. By the time we got it back, the series was over and no longer showing on Showcase. I'll be watching Season 5 soon but the free preview stops at the end of the month - just before I can see the final episodes! Thankfully, I found a channel on Youtube that has the final episodes uploaded so I'll finish the series there (provided YouTube doesn't shut it down!). I plan someday to get the DVD set anyways.
Gears of War 3 is almost done and the review will be up soon after. Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days is progressing pretty good but still have more to do. Halo: Combat Evolved is about halfway done.
I finished the Book of Psalms, the Bible's book of celebrated poetry and hymns. Not much to mention either than comment on a few things. First off, it's believed that King David wrote some of these Psalms though not all of them. People know of Psalm 23 which is the famous "The Lord is my Shepard" poem. Finally, Psalm 119 is the longest Psalm and happens to be the longest chapter in the entire Bible. It has 22 stanzas that reflect every letter of the Hebrew alphabet from Aleph to Tau. It's a pretty fascinating Psalm. I'm now starting the book of Proverbs.
Last Movie: Son of God (Theatrical), Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (Blu-Ray)
Last Book: KJV Holy Bible - Psalms
Last Game: Sonic Colors (Wii)
Current Book: KJV Holy Bible - Proverbs
Current Games: Gears of War 3 (Xbox 360) & Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days (DS) & Halo: Combat Evolved (Xbox)